2011 Buick Regal CXL Turbo

A Better Buick? Yes. A Real Sport Sedan? No.

Fortunately, the Regal's handling isn't so lackadaisical. Lapping our Figure Eight track in 26.8 seconds, the Buick handily beats the I-4 TSX's best time (27.3 seconds) and the CC (27.2 seconds). And, at a 0.83 lateral g average, the Regal's grip is comparable to the Acura and the Volkswagen. Credit here is due to the optional wheel and tire package -- our car wore 19-inch wheels shod with all-season Goodyear Eagle RS-A rubber. Accolades are also due for the stopping power; we recorded a best stop of 113 feet, which is the best of the group.

Value is a push. Starting at $29,495, the turbo Regal undercuts the base TSX by $675, but the CC, at $29,020, is the least expensive of the bunch (the non-turbo Regal starts at $26,995, but its performance is non-competitive in-class and therefore not up for comparison). Our Regal, a top-of-the-line T07 trim with a sunroof, adaptive shock control, the aforementioned wheels, and bi-xenon headlights, totals $35,380, or the same as a V-6 TSX.
The numbers don't look good for the Buick, but we'll have to wait to drive the competition back-to-back before we make a final call. The Regal's shortcomings also make us hopeful for the forthcoming GS trim, which, in thinly veiled show car form, offered 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. As is, the Regal is a better Buick, which is one thing. A competitive car is another.

ok that makes no sence! Let me explain again:The, cobalt, SS gets 25-26 mpg, all out red lining and fast driving. Easy to get 28-30 with stick and stock LNF - i have 12k - i put in the stage one this spring. My point is the regal-T does not match but is still worth it - with the auto, easy driving (wife) gets 22-23 city. Da Regal, (me driving) Combo of fast highway driving and city gets 24-25 mpg vs my cobalt ss (same engine detuned for low torque) - Regal you can get 30mpg at 80-90mph with down shifts.I did not win the SS, I own it. The regal is a great car but i paid $26k for the turbo with the sunroof only. The GS? 3800lbs this machine needs the camero engine.I owned twin turbo stealth - later one, and turbo talon. A TSX turbo mustange too - showing my age?I love this car for highway and familey outings with little sport - it is no cobalt SS.

first, i won a 2010 cobalt ss loaded for $23ksecond i picked up a striped buick regal turbo, on the sun roof option, for $26k. and good ratekia or hundy? lol! this car is so sweet, the trans is slow to shift, i aleady in 3 weeks put 3k on it, wives car. on the highway it is hoot. i own a cobalt SS - city we get 22-23 average. highway we get 29-31 but red line 4th regularlly drive 110 mph everytime i drive. i have had zero accidents and have no points in decades but manage to hit 120 in chicago land each day in the SS.The SS will stick on corvetts butt in 4th, read line is 99-100 mph in 3rd. I can spin the tires into 3rd with the ss if like - i get 25mpg city with light high way. LNF gets 28 mph running 294/tristate in rush hour at 85-110 mph.One issue with this car, the buick, slow down shifts on starts. Yes, the LNF is manual only, i drive all manuals, but this is the wives car.Handling for FWD car of 3800 lbs is amazing.I owned, 2 celics, supra and a trubo one, RX7 gSL, northstar caddy.

The assumption that seems to have been made here is that this is the "Sport" version of the Regal, since it has a turbocharged engine.This is not the sport version. The sport version has yet to be released. It will be called the Regal GS.

"Very nice-looking car inside and out, but whoa! $40 grand tested price? Im sorry, but the performance is mediocre (at best) for a "sport" sedan, and its luxury and feature content isnt enough to compensate or justify the high price tag."It doesn't have a $40,000 price. It says right there: "Price as tested: $35,380."You're off by about 5K.

Thanks professor. Its amazing how many folks think you can summarize a car's merit ONLY on 0-60 times. When GM used to offer numerous high powered FWD cars the auto mags and many critics complained that these cars had too much power through the front wheels and the chassis tuning was up to the task. Oftentimes a car wins a comparison test without being the fastest based on overall chassis balance. The fact that this isnt the fastest car for the money hardly means its not enjoyable to drive. Folks who think the Sonata is better because it has a faster 0-60 are missing the point- lots of cars offer great bang for the buck but that doesnt make them great cars. A Camaro SS can be had for $31k and leave this and other cars in the dust but that doesnt mean its a great all around package.

SYJ: I read through your comments and they are logical and depict the market accurately. This car is not about 0-60 times but about driving refinement, much like its primary competitors Audi, Acura and Lexus. Although I would prefer AWD as an option and can understand the emotional reaction on this board, I can also understand the logical decision of GM to offer this as fwd to the American Public, who, based on sales figures (ie demand) prefers fwd cars. For example: Lexus has sold 37,844 Fwd ES models YTD 2010, as compared to its RWD/AWD brethren the GS at 5,796 units. It's about selling cars that the American Public will buy and based on the previous and ongoing trend the American public buys fwd cars. The GS offers class competitive performance, as well as above average refinement and style. I have to agree that as an enthusiast I would like to see the 2.0t as the base engine and offered with AWD but I think that GM will sell a good amount of Regals with its current line-up.

Ok, so it's slow. I think GM calls it a "sport sedan" because of its Germanic handling, not speed. This car was praised on the Nurburgring by racing professionals for it's handling and sporty feel. There was even a documentary about it!As for the HUMMER H2's 0-60 time, that's not surprising. It's got a nice, big V8 under the hood. It just happens to be fast to hit 60mph, but I don't think the Regal is meant to be a fast car.So it looks like to me the wrong testing was conducted here. You conducted performance car testing on a car that isn't a performance car. Also, you guys made the mistake of expecting far too much from a car that isn't what you think it is.I'll end by saying this was the European car of the year, and also the best-selling if I'm not mistaken. The Insignia isn't light-years different than the Regal, so maybe we should look at the testers here...especially when the Regal was praised beyond belief before you guys posted this review

Wow, and you thought that the Volvo S60 wa a bit overpriced with an engine that has 300 hpa325 pounds feet of torque, leather, top safety, and AWD as STANDARD!!! And it's Way faster than this slug. 5.7 seconds vs 7.5?

There are two 19" wheels offered. One style comes "standard" with any package that contains interactive drive control. There is a second 5-spoke style that can be ordered on the car (these are the OPTIONAL ones) that has either the base 18" or IDC 19" wheels. I don't know what is so complicated about that.

ONe more thing- value is a "push"? Really?When the TSX offers the same features (19s, IDC system, bi xenons, 12 way passenger seat, music HD, Onstar, rear AC outlet, electric parking brake, etc) than maybe value is a push. The Regal has considerably more kit than a TSX V6.

Carlos:Dont throw stones at me because there was a mistake in the article. You are trying to divert attention from the error- I will point out any error I notice for any vehicle. This one jumped out since I had already priced a loaded 2.0T. No implacable patriotism, just keeping you honest- sorry if you dont like it. The price drops on the optional rims on the higher levels because they already come with 19s. They are dropping the option price to reflect that those models have larger rims standard. if you are upgrading from the 18s you pay more. The accessory 19s are not the ones shown on this car, they are a 5 spoke design. I told you that already but I guess you dont listen to us ignorant readers.

Regarding pricing, again. Here's what's going on: The TO5 through TO7 trim levels do come with 19-inch wheels. The rest do not. What GM doesn't do is remove the option to select the 19-inch wheels from its pricing info; hence, our own pricing (and our third party source's) reflects an errant $2745. If you choose the wheels with the T05 through T07 trim, you're selecting them twice. But here's the interesting part: Although the 19-inch wheel option remains when it shouldn't, its price changes. Choose a T01 through T04 trim, and the wheels cost $3995. Choose a T05 through T07, and the price of the "optional" wheels (the ones that are already on the car) drops to $2745. So syj, for your comments and implacable GM patriotism, you get a cookie on this one. Thanks!

I bet the Regal GS will still be slower than a Camry V6, Accord V6, a Altima V6, and the Sonata turbo. Of course it will be way slower and priced about the same as a BMW 335i, Infinity G37, and Hyundai Genesis V8.

cole:A loaded CC is not $34k, its more like $40k. The CC is available with a V6 an AWD and that model starts at $37k. The loaded 2.0T model is around $35k I believe. On top of that a loaded Regal 2.0T with 19s, nav and selectable suspension is $35k regardless of what MT says. You can check it out for yourself to confirm the figure.

Note to MT- if you want to get your facts straight on how much a regal T07 costs you might want to on Buick's own site.19" wheels are standard on the T05, T06 and T07 models STANDARD. Meaning, you dont pay extra.the car DOES NOT COST $38k.

I saw one complaint "the only reason it lost to the CC was because of the price." That is kinda huge when you look at the price - you can get a fully loaded CC and not even spend 34. We are talking 5k to save .4 seconds on the figure 8? In other words you are paying $1200/10th of a second. I'm a fan of the regal don't get me wrong, but the CC is prettier still and definitely a better value. I would take it hands down.

Carlos:The PRICE IS WRONG. PERIOD. The 19s are standard on the T07 package Buick offers factory accesory 19" rims that are not included in any package and they add $2745 to the price of the car if you order them. The STANDARD 19s do not add $2700 to the price of the car and thus a loaded Regal with non accessory options is $35,185 as I stated. The optional 19" rims are 5 spoke an can be added to the 2.4 Regal as well. btc:A4 weighs about 3800lbs. MAxima weighs about 3700lbs as does the TL FWD. Even the TSX V6 weighs over 3600lbs. The Regal is slightly heavier than those cars and that is partially due to the heavy 19" wheels.

This is a fine car in need of an engine. Put a freaking V6 as an option in this thing. Enough with these 4 cylinders. Jesus this is America GM. Not freakin Europe. Finally you make a good car, but you give us sluggish performance in base, and non-competitive turbo version. A shame when you have the 3.6 liter DI in your wardrobe

btc909 please educate yourself before making stupid comments! Last time I checked all the new "vehicles" Buick is bringing to production is showing triple digit sales increase....in fact you could say that for GM period. Regardless whether the cars are heavy GM's selling very well and now each quarter showing great profits.

In regards to the pricing: Are these exterior pictures of the actual car that was tested? Because I do not believe those wheels are the optional $2745 19" wheels, which according to a brochure picture I've seen are a 5-spoke design. The wheels pictured on this car are the 19" wheels included with interactive drive control in the TO7 package.

I'm not sure why everyone's complaining (including you MT!) with this car, it's a 4-banger with 220hp with an automatic. Yes the car is porky so IMO 7.5 seconds to 60 mph isn't to shabby considering the TSX I've seen tested is a 6-speed manual and runs nearly identical times. Please enlighten me what an automatic TSX will do instead.Also the Volkswagen CC with the 2.0 TSI Turbo with the DSG Tiptronic runs mid-7 second to 60 mph....so again with this why is this car so slow?

Thats a little disappointing because its a nice looking car, not that big and the hp/lb-ft numbers look good(ish) for this sort of vehicle so the performance should be better. Going fast in a straight line is one type of performance, but just as important (if not more so) is how the car handles going around corners and if it has a manual transmission what does it feel like. Gotta say though, it shouldn't be possible to load this car up at a price near 40k, thats just too expensive. Still, a Buick that actually generates some interest is an accomplishment in and of itself...

If there was ever a car ridiculed by MT, I think this takes the cake, LOLZ."Here is a list of cars that are faster than the boosted Regal in ascending order of ridiculousness: Ford Taurus SEL, Honda Accord Crosstour, Toyota Sienna SE, Hummer H2. That's right: The last H2 we tested, the hulking, 6600-lb super-sized monstrosity of a thing, hit 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. The 2011 Regal, this Rebirth-of-Buick turbocharged one, does the same four-tenths of a second later"MT the Toyota Sienna will smoke a number of so called sports/muscle cars, LOL.To be honest, I think the automotive press has been very lenient with GM especially through the financial crisis and the bailouts, basically not beating a man when he is down. Now there are back to normal and being equally harsh as with any other automaker. (CTS-V and Corvette are still great though)No opinion on this one, although as I said before, you are better served with the Sonata 2T.

In addition I dont think this car will dissapoint anyone who drives it. buick is heading in the right direction and if you dont buy this car because its slower than the competetion then you are making a big mistake. This car is like having a bmw without all the stigma that a bmw carries.

Gm has a lot of catching up to do!! Look at the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0t. Way better car and gets 34mpg on the highway for less money and better warranty. Also is out selling almost all of it competition.

Fact is, 90% of the people who buy these kinds of cars will not put them through their paces like MT does, so I really don't see why everyone is making such a big deal about this!?! And for everyone complaining about the price... well, how do you expect GM or any domestic brand for that matter to build cars that equally as good as the forieng cars and yet expect to have all the bells and whistles for thousands less, that's just dumb...you want more, pay for it...stop being cheap!

Nice try, Opel ('scuse me, Buick), but if you're trying to sell the Regal (Insignia) as a "sport sedn", at least try to close to match the elements of a "sport sedn", namely, speed, interior poise and nice suspension (at least on the latter they're closer to compete). This also applies to the Suzuki Kizashi ( ~ 95% of the Regal (Insignia), w/o the 2 top engines).Since part of the problem is excess weight (as it seem happens in most sport/sporty WLO-GM apps) it'll have to wait ' til the next cycle to repair.